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User blog:HPCStAlbans/Still waiting for change of use…….
So the application normally takes 8 weeks, really? Well the application could have taken 8 weeks if I was happy to accept a NO! I don’t think so…. At the start of this process I realised that running a fitness facility what with the long hours and opening the facility 7 days a week was going to be more than a little daunting by myself, so it was either hire more staff than I really wanted from day one or consider bring in an equally passionate business partner. I decided the latter would be much better from both a business aspect and for my sanity. I had a friend call Philip Doyle who I meet at the end of 2008 when he attended a L3 Personal Trainer qualification course I was tutoring. I was immediately impressed by his enthusiasm and background of participation in various sports. On top of that he seemed like a genuinely nice guy. Over the next year or so I got to know Phil quite well and we chatted on the phone regularly, I went on to help him secure a role with Sportspace in Hemel Hempstead working for an ex-employee of mine called Chris Bourne, a fantastic personal trainer who worked under me in what was then Next Generation Club in Hatfield, now the David Lloyd club. Phil went on to become an invaluable member of the Sportspace team, sorry Chris I’ve poached one of your strongest members of staff, an ex boss of mine once told me when I resigned from David Lloyd, good people always move on (a pearl of wisdom I’ve never forgot, thanks Jarrod). Phil has gone onto become a L6 Biomechanics coach studying with Martin Haines’s company Intelligent Training Systems, Martin is one of the countries most respected lectures in biomechanics. So you see Phil is bringing to HPC more than just his infectious passion and ability to make exercise fun, he’s bring his highly effective ability to break down the body’s movements mechanically and restore correct movement and function. So were all going to benefit by working with Mr. Doyle. So Phil’s been involved in the process of seeking a change of use from the day the application that was submitted on the 22nd July 2010. Yes that long ago! For me Phil has had the added benefit of sharing my stress, although if you speak to him I think he actually suffered the most with the weeks of sitting in limbo not knowing whether we would get the go ahead or not. At this point I’d like to highlight that for most of this time things have been against us, as at several points in the process we were being told, this is not going to happen. However with my perseverance, well actually it was me being stubborn I decided to contact my local MP Anne Main to see if I could gain her support. After a couple of emails and phone calls to her office Anne Main actually phoned me personally, I was a little socked to receive her call, however incredibly please as well as impressed that she’d taken the time to do so. She kindly agreed to speak to her contacts at the council and request they meet us in person and listen to our case and not just fall back on policy, remember the building had been empty for almost 4 years, so there was certainly no risk of losing employment which was the policy we were struggling to overcome. At this point Councillor Chris Brazier was kind enough to come and visit the St Albans site and listed to our argument as to why we should be granted a change of use. After his visit although there were no strings pulled or favoritism received we did find that the relevant people were open to speak to us and help us find solutions to the problems that were being identified. So at this point more paperwork was submitted, we needed to prove to the council why there was no other site that was suitable for our use. At this point I’d like to thank Chris Briggs in the planning policy unit for his time and guidance on what we would need to submit to prove this point. The council now had an extra 3 weeks to examine the additional paperwork, so more waiting and more stress for Phil, I’m sure he’s lost even more hair since we started this, not that he has much to start, ok I know I can’t talk, I’ve got even less. I think in this picture Ashley of Halls Commercial has noticed Phil’s increasing hair loss….sorry Phil. Category:Blog posts Category:Health & Fitness